ilikeanswers

I suppose it makes sense:confused:. Before the talk of man induced climate change most people had probably never heard of glaciers and ice caves. It's like any tourist attraction, if the media start talking about it people want to know about it and naturally they want to go visit it:p, so it isn't a surprise visitor numbers are increasing and sadly when the numbers go up, the chances for reckless tourists to turn up also increases:o.

STRAWS the new crisis of the looney left .

Not that loony. Google turtles and plastic straws and you will see the damage they do:(. I am happy to see plastic straws disappearing, it is ridiculous to makes something that lasts for years that we only use for a few minutes.

I flew on Qantas to Auckland this year and despite them saying they would weigh carry on they didn't:o. I admit my carry on bag was a little over. It is not necessarily that you need all the items on hand but there are things you just don't trust to put in your check in;p. You know a good tip if you want to check the weight of your bags is to get on your bathroom scales weigh yourself, then get on the scales again holding the bag whose weight you want to know than take that weight and subtract it from your first weigh. The difference is the weight of your bag:D.

How do they add caffeine to Caffeine Free Diet Coke? I thought they added it to regular Coke and Diet Coke to give people a jolt. I can’t drink it or Coke Zero but haven’t had a problem with Caffeine Free Diet Coke.

 

 

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You should be alright with caffeine free Coke. Unlike tea or coffee Coke is not naturally occurring and none of the ingredients they use contain caffeine as they have admited (despite their usual veil of secrecy) that they add the caffeine to the formula for the bitter flavour. So caffeine free Coke should be what it says Coke with no caffeine added. The only way I can think of caffeine being added is if they use the same factory equipment to process both syrups so you would have cross contamination but even then the amount of caffeine would be incredibly minuscule, so unless you have hyper sensitivity you should be OK.

If I live long enough, (I'll be 76 in three weeks), we're intending/hoping to go to Ukraine, (mainly by train), next Spring......at least we (now) know how to look for hummus. :D

Looks like you had good time in the Northern Territory, and I would say nothing seems to have changed since your visit. We we're looking into visiting the Ukraine next year too but unfortunately we just couldn't fit into our itinerary. Hope you do get there and have an awesome trip though I have my doubts even with translation in hand you will find your hummus, but I hear Ukrainians make some mean dumplings and cabbage rolls, hopefully that will satisfy.

Back to the topic of the OP, I do think you should travel in the way that makes you happy or might be the most feasible for you, but that doesn't mean that acknowledging the negative impacts of your chosen travel style is in anyway an insult to that travel style or the tourist who participates. Every form of tourism has some negative impact and as tourists knowing how we are impacting a destination both positive and negative is the best way to make informed decisions about our trips. No matter how we travel there is always room to be a more conscientious tourist and try in whatever capacity you have to make decisions where the benefits can outweigh the harm even it is just a little bit.

Finding Hummus in Bulgaria was initially a problem...until we learned to look for Xymyc on the top of the tub. :D

Before I got to Serbia I was quite excited by the challenge of visiting a country whose alphabet I couldn't read and when I got there I discovered they had swapped out most of their signs for the Latin alphabet:') and where there was Cyrillic it had a Latin translation;p. All that aside it was still a wonderful (if not nearly as challenging) road trip nonetheless;).

Did I mention being detained for a day, initially at machine gun point, in Basra, Iraq, not too long before the train ride? ;)

 

At one point, as the old train was climbing to higher altitudes along the windy track, it was possible to jump off, walk ahead a little, wait for the train to catch up and jump back on...I was younger then.

 

Don't ask about the 'washroom facilities' though.

:')Now that must be a hell of a story;p You really do like getting out of your comfort zone. ;)

“...frankly insulting...” ?

 

You are a bit thin-skinned.

 

While I am all for tradition - you must recognize a certain parallel between modern Polynesians dressing in grass skirts and 21st Century soldiers dressing in early 19th Century uniforms.

 

(BTW, are you a member of the League of Empire Loyalists?)

I would say the key difference is the intended audience. The Polynesian dances you see in hotels and probably on most cruise ships are choreographed specifically for tourist amusement. The routines have no meaning nor tell stories like they traditionally would. It was something I witnessed but was also explained to me when travelling through French Polynesia, that the dance routines they do for tourists they never do during ceremonies, family events or local festivities.

I would think the Heiva Festival of French Polynesia is a better comparison to the military ceremonies of Britain. While there is side benefit of tourism that isn't the aim or intended audience of either event. It is meant to reinforce the local identity, local ideaology and I suspect in Britain's case to keep the connection between the royals and the people. If tourists enjoy it that is great but if they didn't it would not stop either event from occurring whereas with the tourist Polynesian dance routines if tourists displayed a dislike to them they would cease to exist.

If you do have a problem with a travel agent and they are not willing to resolve it with you, you could try lodging a complaint with the ATAS website. I don't how effective they are at resolving disputes (if anyone as ever had experience with them it would be interesting to hear what you think of them:D) but I guess if that doesn't work out you could always try Fair Trading, I have found them to be pretty effective at resolving disputes and getting my money back;). Just be sure to keep as many records of communication as possible. While your at it have a peak at the ACCC website and check out the consumer guarantees.

Yes Mic rather tasty fare.I believe the Tassie recipe for a good pie is 20% Beef 80% Roadkill; local skippies mainly

Last year I was in Tasmania and ate a delicious wallaby pepper berry pie:D. They assured me the meat was 100% wallaby;p. The day before I finally got to try the famous Tassie scallop pie and it really lives up to the hype:hearteyes:.Cooking it with the roe is probably the key as it makes the pie really rich. The place we ate at also had a salmon pie sauced in creamy mornay:cool:.

How is any of this different from the red coats and bearskins worn in military parades in London?

I have not attended a London military parade but I was always under the impression they were actual military ceremonies that happen to attract tourists not ceremonies made just for tourist viewing:o

Well, our guide was a local and was very vocal that this was a bad thing for the communities. He said he would stop for us if we wanted to but we agreed and chose not to feed into it.

 

But to get back in point. I love to be in a place when they have a heritage event or festival occurring. That is not this. This is the dumbing down of a culture to create a roadside attraction to make a quick buck by appearing to be what Americans think of as ‘african’. Personally, I would much rather see people going about their daily lives than faking it.

 

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This was more what I was referring to when it comes to playing to stereotype. Ghana is a poignant example where they have this growing art scene of unique works from local artists displaying their culture and heritage but tourists don't even look at this stuff because they complain it is not "African". They want what they consider "traditional" African art that in reality is mass produced in backyard factories by people who aren't even from the tribes the works belong to. They couldn't even tell you what the symbols mean so the heritage is lost anyway. It stiffles growth in the creative arts industry and it devalues traditional art so the traditional owners of the design can't make money out of their own heritage.

The problem isn't having people take pride in their culture and want to show it off to you but when it becomes a mass manufactured heritage then I think it is a little negative to a community if they feel pressured to play up to these ideas because that is what a tourist expects to see.

I do wonder if "bubble travel" is as harmless as some posters suggest:confused:. When I have travelled to destinations that attracts a lot of big organised tours I find there is one of two things usually happening. The destination either emulates the place of origin of whatever is the largest tourist group, whether it is by bringing in their popular franchise or putting their food on the menu or even designing streets and buildings that look like they could have come from their country. Or the destination plays heavily into the stereotypes of their culture because they find the visitors respond really positively to it and seem to somewhat expect it:o. Developing countries I've noticed seem to do this the most.

While these things do seem to help businesses sell more stuff to tourists I do kind of think that it is bit of a negative that some places seem to feel pressured to conform to the ideas of what the visitor expects of them rather than the visitor just appreciating or accepting the place for what it is.

"Narcissi-sticks":') I wouldn't oppose the name change. Selfie sticks may be here to stay and certainly beats worrying if that person you gave your camera to isnt going to do a runner but I also think it might have made taking a photo too easy that we seem to constantly find faults with our image and need to always correct it. Once we were just grateful to have that picture and cherished the memories attached to it. Now it seems no image is ever good enough:o.

When it comes to cultural sensitivity in travel it is important to remember that it is very much a western idea. More people in western nations have had the luxury to travel internationally for a lot longer than people in other parts of the world, so we have had time to develope travelling philosophies. Countries like China that have had rapid increase of people with the disposable income to travel are playing catch up when it comes to travel etiquette. Part of the problem may be the bubble like travel they participate in. Never being taken out of your comfort zone means never having to rethink your behaviour:confused:.

On the flip side there is a growing number of young Asians who are choosing back packing and independent travel. As travel styles diversify this it will probably lead to awareness of cultural sensitivity. The one thing I do notice with a few of the independent Asian travellers I have met is there is a real curiousity about the world. They ask a lot of questions and want to understand how things work and have a real sense of wonderment. By comaprison I sometimes think we westerners are a little jaded as travellers:p.

I got a really good tip from a friend for my passport and that was to place post it notes on pages you want to remain blank and on the notes write "do not stamp please". You will get funny looks from immigration and sometimes they ask you what this is about but overall they respect it and move on to an another page. I always keep two pages covered in case I need them for visa requirements.

PS: there are some pretty impressive trip reports here.

Yes they are impressive and I am so glad to have learnt about these cruises(y). When you go online it is hard to find anything beyond the mainstream so it is great to hear people's experiences of these lesser known cruises. Thanks for the contributions ;)there were a lot more than I was expecting:cool:

Reading the fine print is important. I once got a cheap insurance quote but when I read the fine print I found it would only cover the rental car excess for a maximum 14 day rental and I was renting for 30 days. The price difference may be in the fine print, though to be honest I find most insurance products are the same.

You should also check the submission process as some companies offer 24hr assistance while others have limited contact hours. It is important to know which would best suit your mother and her needs.

Get a "miles" credit card... Become FANATICAL about putting every bill, every expenditure, EVERYTHING on the card. Do that for a year and you have paid for a couple tickets on a 7 day cruise. (Or more) We use ours for airfare, and have paid for DW and my RT airfares to Singapore, Sydney, Buenos Aires, and Hong Kong, all to get to cruises, all in the past 6 years... You CAN DO IT

If you are American it is something to take advantage off but outside of America miles cards are not nearly as generous:(. It usually takes a few years (unless you are a frequent flyer) before you earn enough for anything worthwhile:o.

I get asked this question about my frequency to travel;). The thing I notice is almost always the person asking is either dressed in designer wear, has multiple paid subscriptions to video sites, has upgraded all their technology for another year, eats out regularly at gourmet establishments or spends a fortune partying it up on the weekend.:')

If you don't have a lot of funds you have to prioritise what is important to you :D. I love to travel and while I try to find the best bargains I still have to give up other luxuries to be able to afford travel. And I am OK with that since other luxuries would never give me the same sense of satisfaction:cool:.

Did you go on a cruise that took you to remote or unique locations that not many tourists visit:cool:? Or perhaps it specialised in a certain activity like cooking school cruises, bird watching cruises, scuba diving cruises etc.. :DMaybe it was something else that made it a niche cruise;). Just curious about what other cruises are out there apart from the usual lines and routes:confused:

I feel like I have heard of companies recreating turn of the century ships. They may not be the Titanic but the look and feel is probably similar though obviously they embellish them with modern amenities and they aren't run on coal or steam anymore.

I do remember reading about someone recreating the dinner menu of the Titanic. It was like a degustation and apparently the food was really nice though very rich.

I think it depends on the ship and you should enquire with the company you are sailing. I sailed on a ship that had a lock to keep the balcony door open in rough seas and we had instances where the staff saw our open door and no one admonished us for anything. I know people get really passionate about this topic but I really don't think there is a one size fits all rule. Just check with the cruise company is probably best.

Etihad part of one world? I know Qantas is, I assume that is what you are saying.

One World:

https://www.oneworld.com/member-airlines/overview

And Virgin Alliances

https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/experience/airline-partners/

Hope this helps:D

Cross body bags are great, but to make it more secure have one with a flap that requires a kind of latch not a magnet to secure it. Another tip is to keep your bag to the front of your body. Sitting on your backside makes it a prime target for the opportunistic pick pockets;).

I will sometimes use hidden money bags or pockets but since they are designed to be hard to reach they are only useful for keeping your emergency cards or money and only if you are certain you will not need your passport for identification puposes.

I have read some people will put fake cards and fake money in their pockets as a sort of decoy for the pick pockets. One account I read they said they put used tissues between the fake money:').

As Bob said, Hotels are the same, it is the curse of travelling solo

I was pleasantly surprised when travelling around Europe and Central America to see many places giving cheaper rates to single guests. Obviously it isn't 50% off and comparing the rate for 2 guest occupancy they were cheaper per person but still it was nice not to be paying for two people but something like one and two thirds of a person;p